Intermediate transfer members are well known and have been used extensively in electrophotographic imaging systems to transfer a developed image. For example, multicolor copying has been achieved with the utilization of an intermediate transfer member in dry electrophotographic printing machines. In this type of device, successive toner powder images are transferred in superimposed registration with one another from the photoconductive drum to an intermediate transfer member. The multicolored image is then transferred to a copy sheet.
The bulk of intermediate transfer members generally include base materials and conductive dopants. For example, polyimide can be used as the base material, and carbon blacks or conductive forms of polyaniline can be used as the conductive dopants. However, these base materials and dopants used in conventional intermediate transfer members have drawbacks and disadvantages. For example, one drawback is that these intermediate transfer members are too humidity sensitive due to the hydrophilic nature of conventional base materials and dopants. Moisture in humid environments will deposit on the devices while idle and cause wrinkles that induces transfer failures and print defects. Currently, there is no easy fix for these humidity issues in the device designs.
Thus, there is a need to overcome these and other problems of the prior art and to provide an intermediate transfer member that alleviates the humidity sensitivity issues.